Boho Romance with a Touch of Disco: Jessica & Josh's Dreamy Forest Wedding

Featuring TONS of fun details!

When real wedding couple Jessica and Josh told us their forest wedding was a "mix of boho and romantic décor, with a touch of disco" we just knew we would love every detail, and my goodness, we do! Their dreamy autumn wedding day features tons of swoon-worthy bohemian décor from an abundance of candles and dried flowers, to gold accents and flowy fabrics, all in a warm palette of burgundy, plum, earthy pink, and dusty mauve.

With Ashley Carlascio Photography and World Love Weddings behind the cameras, the duo set about celebrating with 60 of their very favourite people (including 7 bridesmaids and 6 groomsmen!) at the Redwood Grove ceremony venue followed by a reception at Deer Park Villa – two utterly beautiful outdoor settings for their boho forest wedding. We fell hard for this one, and think you will too!

pink ribbon gold heels hair headband accessories flowers
pink letters RSVP ring box note
silver band ring diamond ring in pink box satin
his vows booklet wedding band ring note letter card

Today's lovely couple are Jessica and Josh from Sacramento, California. The duo first met as kids back in 2005! The bride tells, "We first met after school one day in 8th grade, although we didn’t become friends right away. Josh was a quiet, somewhat shy kid, and I was the wild and somewhat rebellious new girl. Maybe opposites do attract, because by the end of the year we had started hanging out after school every day and flirting over MySpace (we were definitely in each other’s “Top 8”). After about a year of trying to convince people we were “just friends”, Josh finally worked up the courage to ask me out and we started dating freshman year of high school, in 2007."

bride and her bridesmaids all pose for a photo in loungewear
brides back of dress getting help getting ready
mother and daughter hug moment
bride puts on her earrings in mirror
bride gets help from bridesmaid putting on her bridal heel shoe

Although the pair were dating for quite some time, the proposal came as a complete surprise to Jessica! The bride telling the tale says, "Josh completely threw me off by proposing the day before my 30th birthday. We had a weekend in Zion National Park and then Vegas planned with my siblings. Everything special and exciting that was happening, that might normally make someone suspicious, only made me less so (I was under the impression that it was all about my birthday!). I was so thrown off that I almost shot down the sunset hike that would lead to the proposal. Josh proposed at the end of the Canyon Overlook Trail in Zion at sunset w/ all my siblings (4 brothers) and some of my SILs there. We then left for Vegas the next day to celebrate and I was further surprised by my cousins who flew out to celebrate with us. It was so special to have my family there to be a part of it. We partied and danced the night away."

bride on her own holding bouquet smiles on pathway she looks ahead holding bouquet
bride on her own holding bouquet smiles on pathway
bride on her own holding bouquet smiles on pathway she looks down holding bouquet

Jessica chose a Maggie Sottero Designs gown which featured a lace bodice and dramatic train with lace trim. She completed her bridal ensemble with the eye-catching Saskia earrings by SHASHI, a gold crown from Layla Creation Studio on Etsy and the Blaine embellished block heel by Badgley Mischka.

smiling groom in bowtie suit stands in garden setting
close up of grooms wine coloured wedding suit and floral brooch

Groom Josh and his groomsmen looked dapper in merlot and wine suits from The Black Tux. We love that burgundy jacket and dried flower boutonniere combo!

bride and groom hold hands in the garden
bride and groom hug on the pathway to the garden
bride and groom hug on the pathway to the garden facing the camera
bride and groom face each other long shot of them standing in forest garden setting

On the morning of the wedding the couple did a sweet first look and exchanged sweet gifts with each other. The bride reminisces, "My gift to Josh was a bracelet of blue beads which resembled one I gave to him back in highschool and was probably my first ever gift to him. Josh gave me a dainty gold bracelet with an inscription on it."

bride holds up dress and holds grooms hand in garden setting
bride and groom hold each other in the garden
grooms arms around brides waist
bride holds up dress train while groom holds her hand in garden setting
close up of brides bouquet flowers she's with the groom

Jessica had something pretty special for both her 'Something Borrowed' and 'Something New'! The bride tells us, "For my wedding bouquet, I attached my mom’s lace fan that she had on her wedding bouquet. Leading up to the wedding, my mom showed me a picture of her from her wedding day and it was so beautiful and I couldn’t get over her bouquet with the lacy fan. Turns out, she kept it after all these years and was happy to lend it to me for my wedding day. It was really special to have something handed down and be my “Something Borrowed”." She adds, "It was also special that two of my sister-in-laws were pregnant with my (first) little nephews. I had them be my “Something New” Crew to honor them and their little somethings new/on the way."

bride with her guests and bridesmaids she's in the middle
bride with her guests and bridesmaids she's at the front walking

The mismatched bridesmaids dresses and shoes were found via multiple styles and brands and included ASTR The Label, Baltic Born, BHLDN, Birdy Grey, Revelry and Selfie Leslie. The final look was perfect for their boho forest wedding, don't you think?

the groom is in the middle of his groomsmen
the groom is in the middle of his groomsmen
bride and groom walk in front of bridesmaids and groomsmen

Once the date was set and couple began planning their day, they tell us what their
priorities from the very beginning were; "It was important to keep the guest list to our closest friends and family, keeping it intimate. It was also important that we had an outdoor wedding. I love the outdoors and spent a lot of my childhood playing outside with my brothers. The redwoods have an extra special place in my heart and they’re also the place that Josh joined me on his first trip with my family, so it was really nice to find a venue with a redwood grove."

groom and groomsman are all smiles awaiting bride
father walks his daughter bride down the aisle surrounded by guests
father walks his daughter bride down the aisle
wide shot of ceremony guests bride and groom at alter
pink wreath flowers

The beautiful and enchanting Redwood Grove ceremony area at the Deer Park Villa venue set the scene for Jessica and Josh's boho forest wedding ceremony.

bride and groom hold hands during ceremony
close up on bridesmaids dresses flowers

The bride chose dried flowers for her bouquet and her bridal party bouquets which she sourced on Etsy sharing this tip for other couples, "I ordered the flower girl size for my bridesmaids and the bridesmaid size for my bridal bouquet to save money and the sizes were perfect!"

bride and groom hold hands while celebrant gives speech bridesmaids and groomsmen either side
bride reads her vows out to groom
bride groom and celebrant reading sermon

Jessica walked up the aisle to meet her beloved Josh to “You’re My Best Friend” by Queen. The bride tells us, "This felt like the perfect song for a lot of reasons. For one, there’s the line, “Been with you such a long time, you’re my sunshine…” Josh and I have been together since high school and truly are each other’s best friend, so it was fitting. This song is also upbeat and light, which is exactly how I wanted to feel walking down the aisle."

bride groom and celebrant reading sermon
bride and groom kiss at the alter in front of guests
bride and groom exit ceremony just wed guests clapping
groom bends bride over and gives her a kiss in front of clapping guests

The couple were married by Jessica's brother. Says Jessica, "One of the most special things for both of us about our wedding day was having our family so central to it, as they are in our lives. Brothers, cousins, and sister-in-laws were all in our bridal party and my brother officiated our wedding. It was a family affair to say the least."

bride and groom celebrating wedding bouquet in the air
bride and groom stare at each other she looks up in garden setting holding bouquet
close up of groom placing hand on brides chin going in for a kiss garden

After the ceremony, the couple and their guests moved to the magical reception area at Deer Park Villa.

seating arrangements for guests purple
fairy lights forest setting table set out laid out for guests
table number 2 pink decor dining room setting
pink decor table setting cutlery candles and flowers

The couple curated lots of the wedding décor themselves as well as created lots of DIY details for the day. The Altar flower arrangements were done by bride, the reception table numbers, seating chart, s’mores and cake station signage were designed by the couple, as well as the wedding favours for their guests which were personalised name cards that doubled as magnets.

pink decor table setting cutlery candles and flowers
table number 2 pink decor dining room setting
table garden forest setting ceremony dining room

Offering advice for other couples planning their day, Jessica says, "Take your time up front. There really is no rush in setting a wedding date. Start planning and researching only when you feel ready and after you’ve had a chance to soak it in and enjoy your time being newly engaged. This is a special time that can get overlooked when jumping right into it. Wedding planning is a lot, so once you start, carve out time to do other things together that don’t have anything to do with the wedding. "

pink decor table setting cutlery candles and flowers serviette
pink decor table setting cutlery candles and flowers serviette
alter table setting for couple

"The bride adds, "And lastly, don’t ever feel pressured to do anything for your wedding based on other people’s expectations or opinions. Even though you may think about and consider other people during the planning process, at the end of the day, it’s YOUR DAY and what you want matters the most. I say each of these things partly because, to some extent, they’re bits of advice I didn’t always follow myself and I wish I had."

guests cheers with beverages cocktails

Another priority when planning their day was to keep things light and fun, so the couple made sure to set aside plenty of time for dancing, bought bubble wands and bubble guns for guests, had a donut cake and wall, a s’mores bar and fire pits, plus, a dance floor full of metallic streamers, neon signage and disco balls to get the party started! "Our family loves dancing and I knew we’d be spending a lot of time on the dancefloor, hence my wanting to deck it out and make it a little disco- and bubble-filled spot to boogie the night away. I also love disco music and 70s vibes, so it felt right", the bride says.

table setting accessories
table setting laid out wedding guests signature book and polaroid pictures

The newlyweds made the most of their band and DJ for their first dance, with a fun noughties throwback. "Our first dance was to “My Boo” by Usher and Alicia Keys. Josh and I met in middle school in 2005 and we both loved (and still love) 00s R&B music. We knew we wanted a throwback song for our first dance, something to take us back to those days when we first met. My Boo was it!"

bride and groom at the alter setting fairy lights over head in forest ceremony
donut stand sticky treats sweet
donut stand sticky treats sweet
shiny disco ball lying on chair
bride and groom dancing on the dancefloor together

After their busy wedding festivities, the couple jetted of to Germany and Italy, for their well-deserved honeymoon. The bride says, "I would definitely recommend it. Neither of us had been to Europe at all so it was a lot of fun exploring some European cities. In Germany we went to Munich and Füssen; in Italy we visited Cinque Terre, Florence, Rome, and the Puglia region. Each had its own uniqueness and beauty. My personal favorites were Munich and Puglia."

bride and groom swing around hug embrace on pathway

Huge congratulations to Jessica and Josh! Thank you for sharing the beautiful stories of your boho forest wedding day with us. Thank you also to Ashley Carlascio Photography for sharing today’s imagery. You can also watch the couple's wedding video by World Love Weddings on One Fab Day right here.

Suppliers 

Videographer //
World Love Weddings
|
Ceremony //
Redwood Grove
|
Wedding Dress Desginer //
Maggie Sottero Designs
|
Bridal Boutique //
Bride To Be Couture
|
Bridal Shoes //
Badgley Mischka
|
Bridal Accessories //
Etsy
|
Bridal Accessories //
Shashi
|
Suits //
The Black Tux
|
Bridesmaid Dresses/Shoes //
ASTR The Label
|
Bridesmaid Dresses/Shoes //
Baltic Born
|
Bridesmaid Dresses/Shoes //
BHLDN
|
Bridesmaid Dresses/Shoes //
Birdy Grey
|
Bridesmaid Dresses/Shoes //
Revelry
|
Bridesmaid Shoes/Dresses //
Selfie Leslie
|
Grooms and Groomsment Ties //
Tie Bar
|
Flowers //
Etsy
|
Bouquets and Boutonnieres //
Etsy
|
Makeup //
The Makeup Bar
|
Wedding Rings //
Trabert Gold Smiths
|
Vow books and Guest books //
Etsy
|
Music //
Runaway DJ
|
Planning/Styling //
Riley Reece Events
|
Rentals/Decor //
Trattoria da Vittorio
|
Neon Sign //
Neon Sign Kingdom
|
Styling Mat //
Suzy Pierce Art
|
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